Monday, May 7

Book Giveaway of The Jane Austen Guide to Life: Thoughtful Lessons for the Modern Woman, by Lori Smith

Book Contest Closed! Thank you for participating. Winners Chrissie and Tara were chosen randomly with a random number generator and have been contacted. In The Jane Austen Guide to Life: Thoughtful Lessons for the Modern Woman, author Lori Smith examines Jane Austen’s novels, letters, and life for insights that can help guide today’s woman through life’s passages. There is much good material to digest. For my review of this wonderful book, please click here to read it.

You can purchase the Guide as a hard cover or ebook. You can also enter a comment for a chance to win one of two free copies.

Image from the book

For a chance to win, leave a question you would ask Jane Austen. You may choose any topic. The contest ends on midnight, Tuesday, May 15th.

Sadly, the contest is open to those who live in the US or Canada only. Please make sure to leave a way that I can reach you.

Oh I can't even seem to narrow it down to one question! But I think the first question I would ask her is Who her favorite male hero was and why. They are all so wonderful with in reason because they each have faults but Jane Austin succeeded in making them some of the most wonderful men of all time.

Well if I had a chance to sit and visit with Jane, then I am assuming that she knows of my world as well. So it would be interesting to ask her if she had the chance,which world would she choose to live in? Would she choose her own era or modern day society, and why? I'm sure she would have many witty takes on our world of romance today. Wouldn't you love to hear her?Thanks for your lovely blog.

I would ask Jane what she thought of the Internet and all the information "overload" we are exposed to today. It is hard to live a simple life with all the information we have! I would love to win this book and read her "guide" to life. Jane Austen is my hero!

I would ask her if the novels she wrote made it difficult to live in the real world with real characters. And also I'd ask her if she was as flirtatious as some manuscripts make her out to be!kabeilledesigns@yahoo.com

I would ask Jane if she had ever been truly in love. For a woman who wrote some of the greatest love stories ever, I have to believe there must have been someone at sometime in her life! Thanks for the giveaway!!=)kellik115@yahoo.com

Question(s) to Jane: What is it about writing that drew you to it? What does writing do for you? You wrote about men and women, as well as the song-and-dance of courtship and marriage, did you not see for yourself the possibility of love and marriage?

There is so much about Jane that we don't know, so I'd ask her to fill me in. If she doesn't throw me out, I would fix a large pot of tea and ask her if we could discuss each of her heroes and heroines from her novels and how they came about.

If I could sit down and talk with Jane Austen I would assume that she knows of my world now and steamy romance novels on our shelves. I would ask her if she were here now and writing would she include intimate love scenes in her books. Tastefully and beautifully done...of course. A man like Mr. Darcy would be the most considerate, tender, sweet and romantic husband that a wife could ever have I think. The same would apply to mill owner John Thornton. collarcitybrownstone(at)ymail (dot) com.

I would ask her if writing of love and happy endings ever felt like salt in a wound, due to her unhappy and unconventional circumstances. And if so, why did she continue to write about it? I know that would be too hard for me. Simply curious... and hoping to enjoy that book!

Since I like the more eccentric characters of her books, I would like to know how she thought to write of them. Were they based on any real people. For example, Anne's father in Persuasion. Is there a good way to deal with fractious people?

While there is much to ask Miss Austen, and so many topics, I would stick with writing. I would ask her how she felt when inspiration came to her? Did she feel elated, excited, confused, or a sense of peace allowing her to know that what she was about to write would be genius?

P.S. Gossip wise I would ask her if she and Thomas really were 'lovers'

What do you think of the many "Jane Austen sequels" written by various authors? Which ones do you like? Might you possibly love some of them? And, of course, which ones are detestable? Shall we start a book discussion club to address these questions? Pretty please?

I love the comment someone left about asking Jane if she was closer to her mother or her father. I would ask her what it was like trying to write while suffering from her illness. That is, how she was able to manage it.

I'm happy to see that this book is rooted not only in her novels, but in her letters and personal papers as well. It rings more authentically that way. Even if I don't win the contest (fingers crossed), I will check this book out.

Oh boy, this is tough... would love to ask, so how did you think of Mr Darcy... but also I imagine the people she had in her life inspired something of a character that she created, even if it's just one little trait. I think I would ask who matches up with who. :)

The book looks lovely Lori :). Thank you for offering a giveaway Jane Austen Today! Now to a question I would ask Jane. I love the idea of asking Jane some questions over tea.

My question would be: What would you like your readers to take away from reading your novels? and if somehow (magically) she would get to know of the actual impact of her works, I would ask her: have we gotten it right when interpreting her novels and filling in the blanks of her inspirations. And my last question (I promise) would be what was on the letters you wrote that Cassandra supposedly destroyed? :)

I would have asked the same question about which of her male characters she liked the best.

I would also ask her which of her characters (especially the minor characters) are based on people she knew personally.

Then I would ask her if she ever met someone who reminded her of a character she had already written before she met the person who reminded her of them. (I've had this happen to me and my characters before, and I'd love to know if it happens to others).

Persuasion, an annotated edition, edited by Robert Morrison: A Review

Jane Austen Still Present in Society

Elizabeth Langland, literature scholar at Arizona State University, discussed Jane Austen's relevance today in a lecture she gave last year. Click on image to read excerpts of her speech.

Jane Austen's Crime

Podcast with Susannah Fullerton from JASA

Poll: What did you think of Kate Middleton's wedding dress?

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In honor of the royal wedding: Princess Charlotte's wedding dress, 1816

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The Obituary of Charlotte Collins by Andrew Capes

Click on this link to read this amazing historic artifact!

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History of London: Wattle and Daub

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A silhouette of "Caky" for sale: Nanny to Edward Austen Knight's children

Find out more about this auction item by clicking on the image. Jane Austen most likely knew Caky. Jane Austen most likely knew Caky.

Interview with Susannah Fullerton, President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia

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